Insurance Premium Credit Available for Schools Completing Mental Health Support Program

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 07/21/22

United Educators, a member-owned insurance and risk management provider for educational institutions, has partnered with suicide prevention nonprofit The Jed Foundation on several programs to better equip colleges and universities to support students' mental health and well-being, according to a news release.

Eligible UE members can earn a credit on their institution's insurance premium of 4% to 6% upon successful of one of JED's two risk-management programs for higher ed institutions; the programs run 18 to 24 months and include an assessment of campus policies, procedures, programs, and systems to support student mental health and reduce substance abuse and suicides.

It is the first time UE has offered a premium credit to policyholders that implement a comprehensive approach to student mental health on their campuses, UE said.

The JED programs offered through the new partnership include two tailored to higher education institutions.

JED Campus, a four-year strategic partnership that guides colleges and universities through a collaborative process of comprehensive systems, program, and policy development with customized support to build upon existing efforts to address student mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention. The cost of this program is $42,000 for four-year institutions and $36,500 for community colleges.

JED Campus Fundamentals, a shorter, 18-month evidence-based program adapted from JED Campus offers colleges and universities a lighter-touch engagement. Schools have the option to add extra items a la carte or sign on for the four-year program. The cost of this program is $14,000 for any type of higher ed institution.

Each program begins with a thorough assessment of an institution's "current policies, programs, and systems to support student well-being as well as current student mental health needs," said foundation President and COO Rebecca Benghiat. "Equipped with that knowledge and supported by a dedicated JED advisor, schools create and implement a strategic plan for improving mental health and preventing substance misuse and suicide."

The strategic plans recommended by JED focus on the following seven elements considered as foundational to student well-being as outlined by medical and mental health providers and researchers, Benghiat told Campus Technology:

• Developing life skills;
• Promoting social connectedness and positive school climate;
• Increasing help-seeking behaviors;
• Recognizing and responding to students at risk;
• Promoting well-being and access to mental health services;
• Implementing and following crisis management procedures; and
• Creating a safe school environment.

"To equitably and effectively promote student mental health and reduce suicide risk, JED emphasizes attention to policies and practices that work for students with diverse identities in the school community," Benghiat said. "At the end of the program, JED conducts another assessment to document the progress made and outline steps to maintain and build upon it."

Learn more about JED programs at JedFoundation.org, or learn more about UE's risk management premium credit options at the UE.org website.